Breaking Waves: Ocean News

Air pollution soars as fog traps emissions in England’s urban areas

admin — Mon, 09 Nov 2026 17:50:28 +0000

Particles from fireworks and bonfires likely to have contributed to levels well above WHO’s daily guideline

Air pollution soared to “very high” levels across urban parts of England on Monday as still, foggy weather kept emissions trapped after a weekend of fireworks and bonfires.

High fossil fuel prices spread inflation ‘like a cancer’, UN climate negotiator tells Cop31

admin — Mon, 09 Nov 2026 17:47:04 +0000

Simon Stiell makes opening address at summit in Turkey, where talks are under way about speeding up shift to electrification

A global fossil fuel price crisis is “spreading inflation like a cancer” around the planet, the UN’s chief climate negotiator, Simon Stiell, told the opening plenary of critical UN climate talks in Turkey.

Stiell joined Cop31 hosts Turkey and Australia, which is leading the negotiations, in promoting renewable energy and a new electrification goal as an optimistic alternative to a planet still tied to oil, coal and gas.

Deadly floods hit Iraq as thunderstorms sweep across region

admin — Mon, 09 Nov 2026 10:59:06 +0000

Violent storms lash northern Iraq and parts of Iran, while Portugal faces strong winds and Japan braces for further snowfall

Deadly flash floods hit northern Iraq on Saturday as severe thunderstorms swept across the region, including in neighbouring Iran. The city of Erbil, in Iraq, was particularly badly hit, with extensive damage to homes and businesses. Streets were inundated as torrential rain fell over a short period.

Rainfall exceeded forecasts, with an estimated 80mm falling in the city, compared with expectations of 30mm. Two people were killed in the floods.

Thames Water asks creditors for more time to help repay £20bn debt pile

admin — Mon, 09 Nov 2026 10:32:43 +0000

Troubled utility lobbies for deadline on part of the debt to be extended to March 2028

Thames Water has asked creditors for more time to pay back billions of pounds in debt, as the water company scrambles to keep itself afloat.

The UK’s largest water company said it had proposed an “interim” deal under which the deadline to pay off an unspecified portion of the £20bn of debt on its balance sheet would be extended from 2027 to March 2028.

Burnham warns that NHS will ‘struggle’ to cope if consultants don’t resume talks over pay – as it happened

admin — Mon, 09 Nov 2026 10:11:44 +0000

Hospital consultants are set to go on a two-day strike at the end of October

Downing Street has insisted that the government remains committed to the principle of the zero emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate – while not denying today’s Guardian report saying interim targets to achieve it are set to be watered down. (See 9.26am.)

This grim story of marine park whales could yet have a positive outcome – if it teaches us to value other species | Elle Hunt

admin — Mon, 09 Nov 2026 10:00:06 +0000

There is no ‘saving’ these traumatised mammals from places like Marineland in Canada. Humans need to understand that our actions are not easily undone

Remember “Save the whales”? Now that was an environmental campaign everyone could get behind. Surely you don’t want whales to die!

‘A new age of climate extremes’: Earth accumulating heat at accelerating rate

admin — Mon, 09 Nov 2026 07:30:02 +0000

Increased heat will supercharge extreme weather events, warns UN agency as Cop31 climate summit begins

Heat is accumulating in Earth’s systems at an accelerating rate, the UN’s weather agency has reported as the Cop31 climate change summit begins in Turkey, with 2026 on track to be one of the four warmest years on record.

The imbalance between incoming energy from the sun and energy leaving Earth reached its highest level since monitoring began, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said in its State of the Global Climate update.

Cop31 as it happened: world leaders gather for crucial climate crisis talks

admin — Mon, 09 Nov 2026 07:12:34 +0000

UN climate summit will focus on how to implement the targets needed to urgently cut greenhouse gas emissions

Democrats to attend Cop31 climate talks boosted by midterms and eager to make up for Trump-era setbacks

admin — Mon, 09 Nov 2026 06:00:01 +0000

US government will have no official presence at UN’s annual climate summit, this year’s Cop31 held in Antalya, Turkey

The US will be absent from key UN climate talks that start on Monday, a further sign of Donald Trump’s scornful dismissal of the climate crisis. But Democrats’ crushing win in the US midterm elections has delivered a timely shot of optimism to countries now looking beyond the Trump era of climate obstruction.

Stop undermining Jim Chalmers, environment minister urges Labor colleagues

admin — Mon, 09 Nov 2026 05:47:49 +0000

‘It’s pretty obvious that there are all sorts of people making all sorts of comments,’ Murray Watt says after budget savings meeting

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